Vincent Gallo

Some call Vincent Gallo a counter-culture renaissance man while others view him as a not-quite-talented egomaniac suffering from an acute case of delusions-of-grandeur syndrome. Whatever the case may be, the mad scientist behind films like Buffalo 66 and the infamous The Brown Bunny has managed to secure his place in the pantheon of pop culture, next to fellow shameless self-promoters Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali.

Appeal

Vincent Gallo once described himself as "probably the ugliest guy who ever lived." Oh Vincent, you're just being humble. The truth is, Gallo -- with his ghostly cheeks and perma-stoned eyes -- has established himself as something of a derelict heartthrob, having modeled for Calvin Klein, Richard Avedon and most recently H&M, all while maintaining a ferocious grasp on the fleeting pulse of the underground. The former gogo dancer, street hustler, avant-garde painter, and downtown post-punk scenester has bedded a harem of wide-eyed starlets over the years including ex-fiancee Asia Argento, and even convinced ex-lover Chloe Sevigny to fellate him on screen in The Brown Bunny. Considering Gallo's constant promotion of his apparently whale-sized manhood, that was no easy task. And just in case you don't think you have it what it takes to get Gallo's attention, you can purchase some authentic Gallo sperm on his official website for a mere $1 million. Now that's value!

Success

When measuring Vincent Gallo's success, we must first consider this: Upon moving to Manhattan in 1978, Gallo slept in his convertible, was frequently arrested for petty crimes and would pleasure himself while others watched for 10 bucks a pop. Three decades later, the venerable enfant terrible has risen to the top of both the New York art and independent film worlds, most notably with his films Buffalo 66 and The Brown Bunny, which he wrote, directed and starred in. The films haven't exactly broken any box office records, but they have announced Gallo as an audacious artist intent on provoking, challenging and often infuriating his audiences. He's also acted in the films of others, most recently as the lead in Francis Ford Coppola's art-house flop Tetro. Now, instead of pleasuring himself for $10 a session, we're guessing he'd only do it for $20.

Vincent Gallo Biography

Born in Buffalo, New York, to hairdresser parents who emigrated from Sicily, Gallo's childhood was turbulent at best. As a teenager he was constantly arrested for petty crimes and indecent exposure, and suffered from compulsive masturbatory habits (didn't we all?). At 17, Gallo claims to have suffered a nervous breakdown before eventually moving to Manhattan in 1978. After sleeping in his convertible and performing as a go-go dancer at various gay clubs, Gallo slowly began to climb the ranks of the New York art world.

vincent gallo paints and plays music in new york city

Throughout the 1980's, with New York City a crack-infested cesspool about to be ravaged by the AIDS epidemic, young, lost souls migrated to the gritty streets of Manhattan to try to make it as artists, or at least be around those that already had. Vincent Gallo had aspirations of his own, joining the band Gray with fellow visual artist and future legend Jean Michel Basquiat. Gallo also performed solo as the Nonsexuals, rapped in a duo called Trouble Deuce under the moniker Prince Vince and played in a band called Bohack, which recorded an album entitled It Took Several Wives. While designing a record sleeve for Gallo, painter Francesco Clemente caught wind of some paintings Gallo had done, and brought him to the attention of art dealers around the city. Gallo had his first solo art show in 1981, and continued painting until 1990 when he famously stated, "I stopped painting in 1990 at the peak of my success just to deny people my beautiful paintings, and I did it out of spite." Gallo's work has been showing all over the world ever since.

vincent gallo delves into the world of cinema

Before he became a full blown auteur, Vincent Gallo took bit parts in films like Goodfellas, The House of the Spirits and The Perez Family. As Gallo's profile as an actor grew, he began landing bigger roles in films like Arizona Dream, with Johnny Depp, the cult comedy Palookaville, The Funeral and had a lead role in the film Truth or Consequences, N.M. Finally, in 1998, Gallo would write and direct his own film, Buffallo 66.

vincent gallo writes, directs and stars in buffalo 66

For his directorial debut, Vincent Gallo returned to his hometown Buffalo to tell the story of a misanthropic loner who returns to home to find love an acceptance from his disapproving parents. Christina Ricci starred as the woman he kidnaps and forces into a fake marriage with the hopes of impressing them. The film was a very personal affair for Gallo, who explored the crippling feelings of animosity that he had long harbored towards Buffalo, a city he tried to run away from multiple times before finally moving to Manhattan. The film's DIY aesthetic and ironic appeal has made it an essential piece of hipster culture and forever made Gallo a cult icon. Empire magazine has listed it as one of the best independent films ever made.

vincent gallo makes the brown bunny

After Buffalo 66, Vincent Gallo would appear as an actor in the films Get Well Soon, Trouble Every Day and Hide and Seek as well as release his very first solo album When on Warp Records, before finally unleashing one of the most infamous films of our (or any) generation, The Brown Bunny. Gallo -- ever the notorious control freak -- wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the film about a drifting motorcycle racer who embarks on a dreamlike cross-country trip, haunted by memories of his ex-lover. The film -- which featured a controversial scene in which Chloe Sevigny actually performs oral sex on Gallo -- premiered at the 2003 Cannes film festival and was met with boos and cat calls. When Roger Ebert famously called it "the worst film in the history of Cannes," he unwittingly engaged Gallo in a war of words that almost overshadowed the film itself. Gallo -- always the gentlemen -- called Ebert a "fat pig with the physique of a slave trader" and even put a hex on the critic's colon, cursing Ebert with cancer. Gallo ultimately edited the film and Ebert ended up giving the trimmer version a thumbs up on his show. The two became friends and lived happily ever. Except for Ebert's eventual diagnosis with cancer that has left him without a voice. Gallo, you freaky prick.

vincent gallo stars in tetro

No one ever expected to see Vincent Gallo star in a Francis Ford Coppola film, but that's exactly what happened when Coppola cast Gallo as the lead in his semi-autobiographical tale Tetro. As the title character, Gallo plays a poet hiding from his past in Argentina, a role that according to many critics Gallo knocked out of the park. Even his old friend Ebert praised Gallo's performance. Of his casting, Coppola said, "I know choosing Vincent Gallo to star in my film will raise a few eyebrows, but I'm betting that seeing him in the role will open some eyes." And hopefully some hearts, too.